Export Fodder

Export Fodder Advisory Panel

James Kellaway (Chair)

Oz Group Co-Op

James has worked across Australia’s agricultural sector for over 35 years, within the sheep, beef, poultry, fruit and vegetable industries. His experience spans export market access and development, strategic management, research, development and extension (RD&E), government relations and marketing. James has a rural and farming background, growing up in Dorrigo, NSW, and a keen interest in fodder production. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture) and a MBA, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Governance Institute of Australia. As Chair of the Export Fodder Advisory Panel James hopes to lean on his experience and contribute to advancing productivity in the Export Fodder industry, maximising return on investment for levy payers and creating growth locally for healthy rural communities.

Darren White

JT Johnson & Sons

Darren is the Export Manager for JT Johnson & Sons and has over 15 years experience in the export fodder industry covering sales & marketing, operations, logistics & compliance. Darren holds a Bachelor of Business and is the export fodder representative for the Grains & Plant Products Export Industry Consultative Committee.

Mick Faulkner

Agrilink Agriculture Consultants

Mick is principal consultant agronomist at Agrilink Agricultural Consultants, based in South Australia’s Mid North. He has been involved in the export fodder industry for 30 years, providing advice to both growers and the processing and marketing entities to meet market demand, consistency of supply and product quality. Prior to the establishment of Agrilink, Mick worked in nutrition research and has maintained strong focus on research and adoption techniques throughout his career.

Patrick Guerin

Technical Advisor

Pat has been involved in the agricultural industry for the majority of his life working in broadacre farming, as well as in the stockfeed and export fodder industries, holding industry positions with a range of export fodder companies. As a result, Pat contributes vast industry experience and a strong personal focus in the relevant technical and operational areas, along with an innate drive to support continuous improvement and sustainability.

Ben Adams

Gilmac Pty Ltd

Ben is a qualified farm manager from Dublin, Ireland with international farming experience across Australia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Crimea, and Ireland in both dairy and broad acre farming operations. He joined Gilmac initially in 2004 as the site manager of the New Norcia site in WA, responsible for managing hay export facility operations, feed mill operation and overseeing the development of a new site and the commissioning of a new hay plant. Ben’s career progression now sees him managing the operations of Gilmac’s six export hay facilities in three states and the pellet mill manufacturing facility in Western Australia.

Andrew Walter

AH & GM Walter Pty Ltd

Andrew has worked across a wide range of roles in science, education and policy development in Industry and Government, small to large, throughout Australia and internationally. He currently sits on a not-for-profit Aged Care Facility Board of Management, as well as being a past member and chair of the RIRDC Fodder Crops Advisory Committee. Raised on a mixed broad-acre family farm in north-east Victoria, Andrew completed a B.Sc (University of Melbourne) and a PhD with CSIRO Plant Industry (Australian National University) in plant molecular biology. He was the Australian Biology Olympiad Team inaugural coach for ten years and the 2004 Director of the International Biology Olympiad. Currently, Andrew operates his commercial family farm, builds innovative agricultural machines and consults as a mechatronics specialist.

Marcus Crawford

Balco Australia Pty Ltd

Marcus grew up on a mixed farming property in the Mid North of South Australia. He has had a strong involvement in the export fodder industry for many years, initially as a grower and then in the research side of the industry, having been a part of the SARDI National Oat Breeding program. Marcus is currently the Group Procurement Manager for Balco Australia Pty Ltd and oversees the purchase of hay in three states across Australia.